David Croft "perplexed" by Monaco GP penalties: "Something was a bit amiss"

Sky Sports Formula 1 lead commentator David Croft was "perplexed" by the number of pitlane speeding penalties during the Monaco Grand Prix. 

While the race around the narrow streets of Monte Carlo was headlined by Kimi Antonelli's fifth consecutive win of the season, it was slightly overshadowed by the spate of penalties. 

Many of the drivers were hit with penalties for speeding in the pitlane, including Pierre Gasly, whose penalty cost him a podium finish. Croft suggested that the volume of offences points to a flaw in the system. 

"Well, one speeding penalty is understandable. Two could be a little bit careless, and three would get Lady Bracknell reaching for her handbag. On this one, I thought something was a bit amiss, to be honest," Croft explained on the Sky Sports F1 Show.

"I'm told that there were similar feelings about it within race control, but they checked, apparently, everything and their systems, they said, were working absolutely fine.

"I don't recall so many speeding penalties during the course of one grand prix. I'm absolutely fascinated as to what's going to happen with Alpine's right of review appeal, where they feel they've got some new data to prove that they weren't speeding.

David Croft, Sky TV

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

"And talking to people after the race, talking to teams after the race, I'm still a bit perplexed as to how so many drivers could get pinged for what essentially most of the time was 0.1km/h. 

"This doesn't seem like a genuine attempt to gain a sporting advantage. It does seem from the outside that something might have been wrong with the timing, and it's a complicated timing system, and I'm sure Craig [Slater] understands the theory of relativity and science a lot better than I do. But it just doesn't sit right.

"And the sad sporting part of that is it's not sat right for a lot of drivers whose race was compromised as a result. None more so than George Russell and Pierre Gasly, who should have woken up with a sore head on Monday morning, celebrating a podium in the Monaco Grand Prix."